Rhyming Games

I thank you all who may actually be reading this. And to those who comment, extra love and kisses for you.


Rhyming Games

Chapter 3: Haute Couture and Literature

Hakkai arrived at the tiny library at about 12: 30 in the afternoon. When his red-haired roommate had begun to show signs of life, Hakkai had cooked a quick breakfast, placed it on the table, and left for town, mission firmly in mind. No more would he succumb to these pesky, uncontrollable, and completely inappropriate thoughts. He had spent half the morning trying to pretend he was not thinking about the massive difference between Gojyo and himself, and the rest of the morning determined to find a solution. And finally the answer had revealed itself to the scholar: literature. He should be able to find out all that he needed to know in a library or bookshop. And if their small village couldn’t provide what he was looking for, he could travel to Chang’an and surely he would find something there.

Confident now, his smile fixed easily on his face, Hakkai entered the humble house of literature that was their town’s library and was pleased to see that hardly anyone would be there to witness his little search. Now to find the right section.

Two hours later, Hakkai exited the library with half a dozen books in his hands and another headache brewing behind his eyes. Most of what he had found was useless. Many were fiction, and although he swallowed his pride and skimmed the ones that looked like romance novels (his shameful topic would be mentioned in those, right?) only a couple featured a youkai male lead, and none of them went into any helpful detail. He supposed he could always browse the actual romance section in the hopes of descriptions of human anatomy, but the whole idea left a sour taste in his mouth. Hakkai did not consider himself a sexual creature any longer (which rather contradicted this outing in the first place, a fact that he ignored) and so he was left with the small collection of youkai-related nonfiction.

He had picked the ones that looked the most promising (and so clinical that he wouldn’t be embarrassed checking them out from the doe-eyed girl behind the desk) and intended to take them back to the apartment and study them in private.
As he walked back through the town, he wished he’d thought to bring some sort of bag with him to carry the books in. Everyone and their brother could see he was extremely interested in youkai if they cared to look. Ah, well. He gathered them close and held them with the titles facing his chest.

Now his thoughts went like this:

Damn it all, my head hurts.

Well, that’s what I get for thinking things I have no business thinking about. Just another form of retribution from a higher power, no doubt.

Lord, I hope these help. If I don’t get this topic out of my head soon…

What would people think if they knew that quiet, gentle Hakkai was obsessed with the size of Sha Gojyo’s—

Gojyo?

“Gojyo?”

For his roommate was indeed in plain sight, not six feet in front of him, wearing a long black coat buttoned all the way up the front to fend off the cold. He was exiting one of the shops and would have run straight into Hakkai if the green-eyed man hadn’t stopped in surprise. He looked around at the sound of his name.

“Hey, Hakkai.” A lazy smile graced his lips. “Wondered where you’d run off to.”

Hakkai played it cool. Gojyo was no connoisseur of literature, and if Hakkai didn’t act suspicious, the redhead would no doubt lose interest almost instantly.

“Just a trip to the library. The books I have at home have gotten rather stale after reading them so many times. Just replenishing my supply.”

“Uh-huh.” Hakkai knew his roommate so well. Then Gojyo leaned in closer and lowered his voice a bit. “Hey, thanks for breakfast and all. You know you didn’t have to do that.”

Hakkai just smiled. Gojyo rummaged in a pocket for his cigarettes and leaned against the side of the storefront as he lit up. Hakkai took the opportunity to glance at the shop Gojyo had come out of. It was a clothing store, a rather upscale one, that catered to the young and trendy. It was Gojyo’s kind of store, except for the price range. Hakkai joined his friend against the building.

“New clothes, Gojyo? Or just looking? Isn’t a store like this a bit too rich for your spending limit?”

Gojyo cracked a grin around his cigarette. “Not at all. You should know Sha Gojyo never ‘just looks’.” He leered suggestively, but Hakkai wasn’t fooled, and he couldn’t resist teasing his friend.

“Hm. Like how you ‘just look’ at Sanzo whenever we see him?”

Gojyo nearly bit the cigarette in half. Then he glared at Hakkai. “I have never once looked at that damn monk like that! How many people do I have to convince? I like the ladies.” Gojyo paused and looked away, frowning blackly. “So I might have done a double-take. Not my fault the guy looks like a chick.”

Hakkai wondered how the Sanzo priest he knew could have ever possibly been mistaken for a woman. True, the man’s hair was silky and rather mesmerizing, his face smooth and well-formed, his skin pale and delicate-looking, and his eyes were certainly unique… but the comparison ended there. Genjo Sanzo was thin and angular, bones and muscles clearly defined, and the way he carried himself was masculine as well. The man was graceful, but graceful in the way a predator is graceful. And the mouth on that man! (A/N: Hakkai means his foul launguage.)

“Anyway, I only meant that I did actually buy stuff today. I may not have had any luck last night with the girls, but I sure as hell was on a winning streak at the tables. Came away with a serious load. Almost makes up for sleeping alone.”

Hakkai decided not to mention that Gojyo was most certainly not alone in the bed last night. He wasn’t quite sure where that conversation would lead.

“So, since my pockets are freshly lined, I thought I’d treat myself, and maybe if I got something… tantalizing enough, I wouldn’t strike out again any time soon, ne?” In good spirits again, Gojyo waggled his eyebrows at his companion.

“Oh? I don’t see any bags.”

“’Course not. I’m wearin’ it.”

Hakkai was then very grateful for the long black coat that hid his friend’s new purchases. He also wondered what Gojyo had done with the clothes he’d worn into town and quickly decided he did not want to know.

“Ah. Mm. Any other plans for the day?”

“I’ll probably get some food and stay out tonight. Gotta try out my new look, after all. I left some of what I won at home for you, if you need anything.”

“Ah-hah. And here I was hoping you’d do some shopping for me with this sudden wealth of yours. We are running a bit low on food. And trash bags.”

Gojyo grimaced as noticeably as he could and stabbed his cigarette out against the wall. “Yeah… well… we’ll see.”

“Ill be going then. Ja.”

The tall redhead let out a long, well-practiced plume of smoke. “Ja.”

True to his word, Gojyo did not return that night. His luck must have improved after all. Hakkai could not have cared less, except to be grateful his roommate was out of the apartment.

According to the almost ancient scientific text among his findings, there was indeed a significant physiological difference between humans and youkai. Well, anyone with eyes could have told him that, of course, but the book had been filled with large complex illustrations of the respective species. Most were exaggerated, to show the differences, and true, the text itself was a bit lacking. But Hakkai could not help but notice that the genital areas were consistently dissimilar.

Youkai males did indeed appear to have larger endowments than their human neighbors. The youkai women had been illustrated as having more generous breasts, as well. How odd. And what, in the end, did it mean?

Well, for one, Hakkai thought, the mystery was solved. No reason to wonder (worry?) about the differences between himself and his rogue roommate. Things were, apparently, as they should be. All’s well below deck.

As he sat alone at the small dining table, frowning down at the library books, he didn’t notice the way the fingers of one hand fondled the three metal cuffs on his very human-sized ear.

His thoughts went like this:

Well, now what? What exactly did I accomplish by researching this? Here I am, equipped with the knowledge that youkai are more well endowed than humans (assuming, of course, that these books can be trusted) and where has it gotten me? I am quite frankly surprised at myself. I guess I thought that all this would lead up to something. That the point would reveal itself. Well, I’m ready for my revalation now…

Nothing happened. Nothing went ping in his brain. He frowned even more deeply. This meant, unfortunately, that he would now have to admit to his own perverse curiosity for perverse curiosity’s sake. He…

…Cho Hakkai…

…was a pervert.

…

I’ve been living with Gojyo too long. Like I needed any more flaws in my character!

Still, he found a smile (though he didn’t spend too much effort looking for a convincing one) then calmly collected up all the books, stacked them neatly, and set them on the floor next to the bed. He’d return them in a day or so, enough time for the library girl to forget who had checked them out. Then, just as calmly, he went to the kitchen, figuring he’d wash the few dirty dishes before going to bed. He glanced at the clock. Almost 11:00.

He wondered when Gojyo would return.

In a dimly lit bar on the other side of town, Sha Gojyo sat with three kings in his hand, and three queens draped about his shoulders. Clearly his recent purchases were working their magic. He’d been favoring the blonde with the dusky blue eyes on his right. Talk about lady luck! This one had certainly lucked out in the looks department. Those sultry eyes, that golden mane, those voluminous orbs in that low cut top, glowing in the dim light… and whattaya know! This one even smoked! Something about the way those slim pale hands held that slim pale stick was making Gojyo’s blood race. She wasn’t even wearing lipstick, and still the sight of smoke streaming from between those lips was making it very hard to sit still. More girls should smoke, he decided.

His current opponent was all that was left of the six-player game Gojyo had initiated a couple hours ago. This one poor, desperate chap… he just couldn’t accept that he was outmatched. Gojyo almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Hard to feel anything but good when you’ve got a slim pale hand sliding slowly… slowly… up your thigh…

“Come on, man! Have a heart, will ya? I got kids ta’ feed!” said the guy across the table.

“You’re not even married!” scoffed the brunette on Gojyo’s left. (And boy, wasn’t she a close second…)

“I could have kids! You don’t know! I probably do, somewhere,” said the guy, slumping in his seat in a way that might just as well have said, Hey, look at me and my pair of tens! I’m screwed!

“Let’s hope you don’t,” said a haughty, husky voice by Gojyo’s right ear. Smoke streamed over his winning cards. “I’m not so sure the world needs any more losers like you.” The pale hand had found the considerable bulge in Gojyo’s trousers. He could feel himself twitching like mad.

Gojyo ended the game as quickly as he could, smirked at the guy’s beaten expression, pocketed his winnings, and swept his lady luck out the front door.


Ten minutes later, he was kissing the blonde senseless against the door of her apartment. She seemed a little surprised by his enthusiasm, but was gamely matching his pace.

Gojyo couldn’t remember the last time his blood had boiled like this with one of his one night stands. As they reached the woman’s bedroom at last, he’d decided it was the cigarettes. Really, more girls should smoke…


Definitely the cigarettes, Gojyo thought, staring at the blonde making coffee the next morning. She was wearing a dressing gown, and he was still naked in the bed, having just woken up. It just wasn’t the same. He eyed her curves, the blond hair, the jut of her hip… Nothing sparked. She turned and asked how he liked his coffee. He met her eyes, dusky blue and drooping with sleep, her full lips likewise pulled down into an early-morning frown… and then, voice still husky, she said, “Got a light?”

Spark.

Gojyo couldn’t leave fast enough.


(To Be Continued...)